The eyes have it

[rsc]

susandennis was wondering why I hadn't been seen here for a week or so, and it's possible that others had noticed too, so here's what's been going on.

Back in early October, I had cataract surgery on my left eye. My right eye is the dominant one, and in fact the vision in my left eye has been not fully correctable for a long time, so the only noticeable difference was that the vision in my left eye was slightly worse (because of having a completely wrong prescription), so I was pretty eager to get the right eye done so I could actually have improved vision (with new glasses) in both eyes – eventually, as it takes several weeks for the new lens to stabilize sufficiently to measure for a new prescription.

So we scheduled the right-eye cataract surgery for Thursday, Nov. 30, and it went fine, at least as far as can be told so far.. About a week before that, I started noticing an increasing number of small black floaters in my left eye, and I didn't think much of it, but I mentioned it to the ophthalmologist at my post-op follow-up on Friday (Dec. 1), and when she looked at it she decided that I should immediately see a retina specialist, who confirmed that there was the beginning of a retinal detachment in the left eye, and I was scheduled for emergency surgery on that eye the following day. That also went OK, but part of that repair involves injecting a gas bubble into the eye to hold the retina in place while it heals, and for a week after such surgery the patient has to remain face-down at all times (or at least as much as possible). On the clinic's recommendation, I rented equipment from these folks, which allowed me to read without as much strain on my neck as just holding my head down would have done, and also to be able to sleep on my face without suffocating. This was really not as comfortable as the name of the company would lead one to believe, but it was probably better than nothing, as was the two-way mirror that made it possible to sort-of watch TV while facing downward (I couldn't quite see the whole screen – I think the mirror needs to be bigger, and the hinge between the two mirrors blocks the center of the bottom of the image). I really did not sleep well that week; in fact, it was altogether a pretty hellish week, but that part is behind me, thank whomever.

I also couldn't use my desktop computer, and relied entirely on my iPad for internet access; my desktop knows my Dreamwidth password, but neither I nor my iPad do (the one I had recorded in the file where I hide such things is apparently wrong, and I'm still working on fixing that), so that's why I haven't been around.

Meanwhile, the gas bubble in my left eye makes vision in that eye impossibly blurry, and apparently it can take several months for this condition to go away. As for the right eye, it still needs glasses to see properly, but most emphatically not the glasses I already own; I'm better off with no glasses at all (except for reading, which I manage semi-adequately with over-the-counter readers). I can drive during the day as long as I know where I'm going – reading road signs is iffy at best – but I don't get to be measured for new glasses for another two weeks, and then it will probably be a week or two before the new glasses are ready, so I won't be seeing very well until sometime in early January. (And I'll need a new lens for the left eye sometime later, when the bubble has finally gone away.)

Once this is all over, I have a reasonable expectation that I'll be seeing better than I have in years (although I have other vision-related issues that will keep it from being perfect). It can't happen soon enough.

Comments

[susandennis]

YIKES!! That's quite the AWOL excuse. I'd have been happy with the dog ate my homework. Glad it's getting better. Here's hoping for Very Much Better.

[arlie]

Yikes! I'm glad the worst of it is over, and remember how frustrating it was post-cataract surgery simply being at the stage of needing replacement glasses but not having them yet. Three or four more weeks of that will seem short in memory, but I bet it's crazy-making while it's happening. Is part of the delay caused by needing to wait for the left eye to settle down enough for its vision to be measured?

[rsc]

Not really. The refraction follow-up for the cataract surgery was scheduled before either of the latest surgeries was performed, and I'm going to go ahead and get the right eye corrected. Yes, I'll have to wait until the bubble dissipates before I can get the prescription for the left, but the right does most of the work anyway, and I'm thinking I'll wear a patch over the left at least some of the time so the blurriness won't bother me.